This is a fairly extensive article which focuses on the need to create a curriculum database, as well as conducting an annual survey and keeping people informed by email. A must read, if you ask me.

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

If you are looking for on-line work, then the obvious place to advertise is on-line. There are various sites which aim to match students with on-line tutors, here a couple to get you started:

The British Council’s E Tutor: Advice and links

OnLineTutoring World: A site dedicated to on-line tutoring with special reference to ESL

Naturally, when it comes to down to actually doing some on-line work, you may find you prefer to work through another organisation which will do all the marketing for you. You’ll find examples of these if you google ESL on-line tutors. However, if you want to create a more professional image – and this is something I advise if you want to branch out in this direction in the long-term – and particularly if you want to contact corporate and other professional clients (where the real money is), you will probably need a website, business cards, and possibly brochures to back up your initial contact. These aren’t as difficult as they may seem, even if you’ve never done such things before.

How ‘first contact’ comes about will depend on the culture in which you are living: there are those cultures in which the cold call approach may be effective (this is always worth a try), whilst in others you’ll need to be introduced by someone who the company already trusts (this makes sense if you think about it). I’ve found the latter has proven a more effective tactic, although of course this means having a network of contacts.

As I’ve noted, in my experience, a lot of work has come through personal contacts and networking. Whether you like it or not, most cultures operate on a basis of ‘who you know’ being important in every sphere of life; this is certainly the case in Turkey. You have to admit that it seems logical that the more specialised the work, and the more the client is paying (the bit that really interests us), the more sure they’ll want to be that the person can deliver. In this context, a personal recommendation is probably more effective than any slick marketing effort in many cultures.

So, what does this mean? Quite simply, from this day on, if you haven’t been doing this up to now, don’t neglect networking opportunities. Conferences, local Chamber of Commerce events, and just frequent contact with others in the same field can all lead to work opportunities. Contacts like these are also important in terms of professional development. One of the disadvantages of home-based work is that you lack the stimulus of exchanging ideas on a daily basis with other teachers. Networking opportunities can also be learning opportunities.

Read part one of my guide to good online tutoring.

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

Ever fancied going to a TEFL conference but been put off by the fees involved? Here’s your big chance to take part without having to stump up any cash. Last year saw the 1st international Free Linguistics Conference (FLC) at the University of Sydney. The aims of this conference were to open a widely accessible forum for linguists in all areas of research to come together and share their diverse perspectives and research. Another aim was to provide an international conference that was accessible to us mere mortals, in that it did not have the staggering fees that often prevent students and scholars from attending various linguistic forums. As a result, there is a policy of having absolutely no fees to register, attend or present at the FLC.

There were a great range or presentations at the first conference, as the FLC does not have strict established themes, and participants came from all around the world, including such countries as Malaysia, Japan, and the United States. The first conference was very well received. There were over 220 participants from around the world and the news about the uniqueness of the conference through to the Sydney UniNews. The conference also received a great deal of positive response and comments from participants who were encouraged by the open forum and the ease with which they were able to join in the fun. The conference was a success, receiving a great deal of warm feedback in regards to the quality and diversity of presentations, the accessibility that the dates and lack of fees offered, and the smooth running of the conference. Proceedings for the 1st FLC are underway, and will be published by Cambridge Scholars Press and launched at the 2nd FLC.

Building on the success of the first conference, the organisers are now in the planning stages of the 2nd FLC to be held at the University of Sydney once again on 11-12th October, 2008. They are excited to announce that they have secured world-renowned superstars of linguistics Michael Halliday and Ruqaiya Hasan as focus speakers at this year’s conference, so participant numbers are certain to increase. They will also welcome Linda Barwick, Liz Ellis, and Trevor Johnston as focus speakers, and look forward to many more presenters in the coming months. The conference website can be found here.

The Call for Papers was announced back in January, as they are hoping to receive submissions over the span of the next few months leading up to the conference. They also hope that you will be able to assist in forwarding this Call for Papers to students and members of your institution, and look forward to their participation in this conference, and hope that they will be made aware of the freedom from fees and open forum that are offered. If you require more information, please visit the 
conference website.

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.

One thing is for certain, the world of online learning is expanding at an incredible pace. More courses are being offered and more students are enrolling every semester. Of course, teaching an online course can be done while sitting at your computer in your undies, but becoming an effective online instructor requires a good deal of practice and preparation.

Of course, teaching online does take away the face-to-face involvement with students. Nothing can replace seeing a student smile after finally understanding a difficult language point, but online teaching can be even more rewarding than traditional teaching, when you do it well.

So, what makes an effective online instructor? While I would say that good teaching involves an incredibly large number of different qualities and techniques, effective online teaching focuses on three main points:

1) You really must be clear about your expectations. Because your student(s) aren’t sitting right in front of you, it’s extremely important to be very clear. How do you know if you are clear enough when you can’t see the students sitting with a puzzled look while nodding their head in apparent agreement? Well… ask the students. Carefully evaluate the quality of their work and how close the finished product matches the aims and objectives. Another good idea is to have a colleague read your material before the course begins. If student evaluations are distributed at the end of the semester, you can use the feedback to help you improve your course and teaching techniques but keep in mind that by then you can no longer help the students learn what you want them to learn!

2) You must communicate frequently AND effectively. Most students will expect you to be sitting at your computer – waiting feverishly – whenever they send you a question by email. Of course, that is not practicable, nor is it in any way reasonable. Therefore, it’s a good idea to give students a time frame in which you plan to respond, with 24 to 48 hours being fairly reasonable. Also, it’s not enough just to communicate frequently. You must also communicate effectively. While some students (especially new online students) will want you to lead them by the hand through each step, if you already have clearly written instructions, you can direct them to these instructions. Bear in mind that most students are not usually going to be asking you questions to annoy you, they just want to make sure they are doing what you want them to do. So, be understanding, even when you get questions that seem nonsenical. If you get the same questions frequently, it’s a good idea to save the questions and your responses to create an FAQ list.

3) You must let your personality shine through. If students just wanted to read a book, they wouldn’t need you to read it for them. So, when teaching online, avoid taking the easy way out by simply posting a few readings and having students answer the questions: Add a little of your personality to your assignments and communication (bear in mind when using humor that it is difficult to convey online). Give them real-life examples that you have learned from being the subject matter expert. Create interesting and interactive assignments to help students really learn the material.

Good teaching, like being good at anything, takes practice. If you are clear – if you stay in close contact with your students – and if you create an interesting learning experience, you will be the online instructor that students want to learn from. Sermon over!

Post Footer automatically generated by Add Post Footer Plugin for wordpress.